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Hong Kong!

I lead such a charmed life. It just happens to be Chinese New Years Day in Hong Kong. I booked this trip 9 months ago and had no idea. As usual, I’m at the Hyatt, right on the bay with a perfect view of the fireworks from my room and club lounge!

I arrived from Frankfurt rested and ready to go with a list of restaurants, food stalls, markets, and areas of interest to see. I was famished, so I chucked the list and stopped at the first hole in the wall I ran into. Clearly this was not a tourist spot…I can’t tell you the name of the place (somewhere along the overhead walkways between the Hyatt and Wanchai market) nor exactly what I ate – nothing was in English, but it was a extraordinary meal.

My waitress did not speak much English and I’m quite lacking in Cantonese (and I was the only non-Chinese person there). I pantomimed drinking tea and got a delicious, enormous pot. Then for food…it looked like everyone was eating dim sum so after much effort, I finally just held up four fingers. She figured out I wanted four dishes, and brought an assortment! I wound up with amazing roasted (or maybe fried?) duck. It was tender, moist, succulent and had the most perfect brown, crispy skin. Every bite was a delight, first the crunch of the skin, then the melting of the thin layer of fat in your mouth, and finally the savory meat. I could have eaten four plates of just this! I was also served something that looked like maybe pork leg in a spicy sauce with fresh peanuts, a spicy bbq pork bun, and a dumpling served in soup. I was in heaven, it was divine! I wish I’d taken pictures, but it seemed inappropriate. Oh well…

Wanchai Market

Wanchai Market - Various Pastes, Balls

After my appetite was sated I ventured out to Wanchai Market. I think it had everything Walmart buyers rejected last season, plus many streets of food stalls. Seafood in bins, produce bounty, hanging meats, mounds of clothes, stacks of shoes, and trinkets galore lined the market. I walked around, enjoying the sights, taking in the smells (good and bad), and people watched. As I mentioned in my last post, I try to blend in with locals, but given I was the only Caucasian for many blocks and about 6 inches taller than everyone else, I stood out like a sore thumb. But I loved every minute!